Last Saturday, Howle Hill FC were in action in the Hereford Junior cup, the same one in which they were victorious back in 2016. Vying for a place in the semi-final they travelled to high flying Herefordshire based Wellington FC.

Hill started as the better team, Joe Griffiths and Dave Tookey linked up beautifully down the left flank to put pressure on the Wellington back line early on. 20 minutes in, Hill nearly scored the goal they so deserved, when Dave Tookey whipped a menacing ball which found its way through the gaps of many swinging legs towards an open goal, it was intercepted at the 11th hour by the size 19 boot of a Hillman player who managed to poke the ball high on to the crossbar. The central defensive duo of Chris and Jon Tookey stood resolute, strong and united though to thwart any goal-ward danger. However, this would not last. Just as the Hill were settling for a half time stalemate their concentration momentarily lapsed. A quick counter attack from Wellington and a neat finish ensured the home side finished the half on top.

The second half continued in the same way with Howle Hill falling helplessly behind on three separate occasions, to being one kick away from a place in the semi-final, all hopes rested on the broad shoulders of Pete Martin; a Howle Hill legend and a god among men who bravely and not surprisingly nominated himself to step up. The ref blew his whistle one final time before Pete confidently sent the ball in to the top left corner and with it Howle Hill went one step closer to a very respectable piece of sought after silverware. Final score: Wellington 3-3 Howle Hill (AET) – Howle Hill win 3-5 on penalties.

After a very hard fought victory against challenging opposition this was one of Andrew Stacey’s proudest moments as manager. The Howle Hill man of the match, sponsored by Peter Dowle Nursery, was awarded to Callum McCulloch for his all-round dynamic and measured performance. On Saturday, December 8th Howle Hill face Ruardean in the league at Weston playing fields (2pm Kick off).See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here